Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Goals for This Week- What Week Am I On?

Umm what happened to last week? What happened to my Goals for the week? Well last week was a little off for me. Monday was a Holiday off of work and I had to take my car 'Jane' to the body shop for the second time to repaired for the SECOND deer that I hit! Yes that's correct the second one in two months! The body shop is loving me.....Grrr! The joys of not living in town....sometimes! Anyway the shop isn't close to home and the husband is off on Mondays so we made a day of it together and I was tired when we got home. Then the next few days I began just not feeling the best I was having a headache every day and just really tired feeling. By Friday I felt terrible! Somehow I managed to work all day Friday but as soon as I got home I ate about 5 french fries and went to bed.....I ended up staying in bed until basically Monday morning! Needless to say I was sick and way sicker than I thought I was, it has been a very long time since I have been in that bad of shape!

Needless to say I got behind on running and lots of things in general! But its early in the year, early in training and I am NOT going to let this small minor set back set me back attitude wise! I mean that is life isn't it lots of 'bumps' in the roads!

I still don't think I am back to 100% so I am going to set my goals for this week low,  haven't met my goals yet this year so maybe this will be my week!                                                                                  
Wednesday- 4 miles
Thursday - 4 miles
Saturday- Long Run 8 miles
Sunday- 4 (+) miles 

Have any of You been sick yet this winter? How Long did it Last? Did it Set you Back with training?

Happy Tuesday!
Run Happy ;)

Monday, January 12, 2015

Goals for This Week- I WILL DO BETTER!

Hi All! Bet you thought I was gone and done again....well NOPE I'm not ready to give up yet! Most people make New Year's resolutions and I have in the past but this year I am just going to work on improving myself overall. We shall see what happens but so far I feel like I am off to a great start!

Remember last week how I posted my goals for the week and how if I put it in writing I would have to be committed right?? And I also said how I can handle cold but cold and wind was another story if I don't have to than I'd rather not. Well it was really cold, like single digits, and windy every day last week! Except Tuesday we actually made it out the door that morning and we had a pretty darn good run!

Then came Saturday and it was FREEZING at a balmy 5°. But we did it, we did not back out and whine about how it was too cold! We took the lesser end of the mileage and only did 6 miles but we did it! And we had a pretty big crew of 7 of us! Umm HELLO I am a blogger again why didn't I get another group picture of us??? That's something I can start working on:) But Sherry was thinking much clearer than I and took a picture of us!
Me & Sherry
The picture doesn't show all of the ice on her hat and hair LOL! I probably had some on me but my colors didn't show it!

Well I am going to put my Goals for the Week in writing again and hopefully do much better this week!

Complete 12 miles from Tuesday- Friday- winter weather can be unpredictable so its hard to say what days we will go for sure.
Long Run Saturday 8 miles

Completely doable I see NO reason what so ever why I can't reach this week's goals!

Do you 'Beat' Yourself up Not reaching your Goals for the Week or Mileage Goal? I decided this past week I was giving myself a break with the cold weather. I put in lots of miles from October- December and never really got much of a break as long as I got a couple of days in I am HAPPY!

Run Happy;)

Monday, January 5, 2015

Goals for This Week- Day 1 Failure

My 'neck of the woods' has been hit with an Arctic blast starting with this morning and this morning was suppose to be day 1 official spring half/marathon training. What happened? It was 18° and windy with the wind chill factor making it feel like 6° out. Here's my thing cold I am ok with and can handle or deal with BUT cold and windy is another story I'd just rather not if I don't have to! Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) the rest of my group agreed and/or was ok with it as well.

So here is my Goal for this week:
Tuesday - 4mi  Wednesday - 4 mi  Friday - 4mi  Saturday Long Run- 6-8mi

If I put it in writing I'm committed Right?? I hope so! My pay back for skipping out today, today was the warmest day of the week :/

Here's hoping for the best that I WILL bundle up and head on out that door and stick with my Goal for this week!

How was Your Monday after a long Holiday Weekend? My day was super crazy but I expected it!

Run Happy ;)

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Resolution Run 5k

Whoo Hoo look at me its the 4th day of the new year I've ran 2 races and this makes my 3rd blog post! Watch out I'm on a roll now if I can just keep it up :)

Saturday January 3 was the Resolution Run 5k in Lancaster, KY. The weather forecast all week was calling for heavy rain but warm temps not going to lie I was dreading this all week long! Another negative (for me) going into this race, it stated at 1pm ugghh I am not a middle of the day runner. (the New Year's Day race started at 1:30 pm hmmm) It rained off and on all morning and it was warmer but it was windy so I packed a change of clothes just in case I get soaked.

Some how I arrived really early that is totally not like me at all except for bigger races when I know the bath room line will be long!! I got my registration stuff talked to a couple of people and walked back to my car to put my stuff in there and then it hit me......I forgot my Garmin! WHAT??!! That is not like me at all either!! I don't hardly look at it in races but I have that 'I Just HAVE to HAVE it feeling'. I was trying hard not to panic but I was. Thankfully a runner friend Libby had on two watches and she let me use one, it was just a time keeping watch but it helped me in just knowing I had something on!
Super Thanks Libby!

Thankfully the rain held off while we was running but the wind sure didn't. I knew it was going to be a head wind in the beginning and the end of this course which is the worst part as the end is a steady uphill about a quarter mile or more. There was very few people I knew there and no one that was really my pace I knew Larry Vaught our local sports writer for the newspaper was a little slower than he usually is and I stayed with him almost the entire time which also helped me having someone to pace with.
You can see the wet roads I think you can tell how terrible windy it was with everyone's head down!
The first mile is the greatest as most of it is down hill followed by a straight. This is the only mile that I know my pace on and it was a little too fast for me right now anyway mile 1 8:23. There is a small steep up hill at the turn around but then you go right back down it which is also nice except the wind was awful in this part as well. Two races in the new year and both of them windy as can be! I knew the awful uphill to finish was coming up and had in my mind I would probably have to walk up it at some point but when I reached it I just took a deep breath slowed way down and just kept moving one foot in front of the other! Almost at the top of it you make a right turn into the school's parking lot and it goes up another steep little part that's where I stopped and took a few steps I wish I didn't but I needed to get the snot out of my throat I couldn't hardly breathe.

Considering the wind and wet roads and I forgot my Garmin I was pretty happy with my finish time 27:42 and 1st in my age group! For the first 5k of the year it was a great start and I look forward to working on getting better at 5k's!


How was Your Weekend? Did you Race? How'd it Go?
Run Happy ;) 

All pictures are courtesy of the Picture Lady, check out her site for more great pictures!

Friday, January 2, 2015

Resolution Run 5 Miler

This has became an annual run that I usually run with my husband since it is our anniversary however this year he didn't want to run in fact it has been quite a while since he has ran.

So instead I spent the afternoon with these fabulous ladies and my mom!


Morgan, me & Sherry

The Resolution Run was held at ColdStream Park in Lexington, KY I have ran there several times so I am very familiar with it. I was so unsure of what to leave on and take off clothes wise, it was about 34° Sunny but the wind was blowing about 15 mph! I decided to leave on my dri fit sweatshirt although I knew I would get hot I thought the wind would make it all work out. 
The race started I turned and told Sherry & Morgan I'd see them at the end (Sherry has had an injury and Morgan busy with work so neither has been able to run in forever!) and off I went. About a half mile in I was still pretty close to this person we know and he's a fast one so I looked at my Garmin and HOLY COW I better be slowing it down 7:52 I can barely average 8:55 for a 5k! I slowed down to a more comfortable pace - mile 1 8:08. About a 1½ mile in it was time to take off the sweatshirt I knew that would happen plus I spent the entire first mile + fooling with my earphone cord trying to get everything right. Also in mile 2 is the first long uphill I had already walked to take my shirt off so I just moved up the hill slowly and best I could the second one got me and I had to walk a few steps again- mile 2 9:39. Thankfully a decent downhill followed by a straight stretch comes next I used the downhill the best I could and picked it up a little I was still feeling pretty good but there had already been several spots of terrible head wind so I was beginning to get a little winded myself- mile 3 9:07. The last hill is not as long or steep as the first so again I just took it easy going up and tried to reserve some energy and use it on the down going into the last mile- mile 4 9:16. The last mile is the longest mile ever (isn't it usually that way for every race ?!!??) and every single time I run here I always struggle with that last mile there is just something about it that makes it feel like its never going to end. Yesterday as no exception and once again I just tried to play it smart and take it easy when needed and push it when I could- mile 5 9:38.

I told my buddies goal time was 45 mins or less as I had said the same last year and smashed that. When I first started running I really didn't think it would be any problem to achieve that goal time, that was before we hit the crazy head wind!  I ended up being 2 mins slower than last year and I almost didn't finish in 45 but my official chip time was 45:51 and I was 4th in my age group. I'll take it!

I look like the running Hobo...geez how many clothes did I have on?

This is  a great finish photo of Morgan & Sherry!
Hope Your New Year if off to a Great start!

Run Happy :)

The last two pics are courtesy of The Picture Lady. Please don't steal them & Be sure to check out her site for more awesome pics!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Happy New Year, Happy Anniversary & Welcome Back!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I to am like everyone else I just can not  believe that it is 2015 already! I think 2014 was the fastest year ever. And as you can see I pretty much quit blogging in 2014, I had good intentions but just couldn't see to follow through or get any thoughts together when I did want to blog my mind would just go blank! I had many good runs, several bad runs, a few new runs and a couple of new experiences in 2014. I am going to highlight some of my 2014 experiences and hopefully ALL of my 2015 experiences, training, races, fun times (bad times) and more as I AM making a come back! A come back to lots of things! I am already signed up for several 2015 races including two full marathons (#3 & 4 for me!) so I will most definitely have plenty to blog about including today's Resolution Run 5 miler, its getting late tonight so I will save that for tomorrows post :)

So my friends I know it is going to take some time to get you back to viewing my page but if you see this please help spread the word....I'm Back! And I'm working on giveaways to offer!!!

My final thoughts for now....Today is my 14 year Anniversary


I can not believe this either! HOLY COW where does time go??


How was Your New Year's? Did you start the first day of the New Year with some Miles??

RUN HAPPY :)